I want to know more about Mapletown United Methodist and I'm interested in growing in my faith. What should I do?
We would love to meet you! Please feel welcome to join us for worship at any time. Our pastor, lay leaders, and congregation will be happy to answer your questions. What you should remember is that no one is excluded from our church. Even for communion. ALL are welcome to participate.
Growing in faith is a process that doesn't happen overnight. It begins with worship, and includes prayer and community. Christianity is a community based faith. We grow in our faith together better than we do separately. Mapletown UMC is a great place to begin a faith journey! Remember, "God loves you just the way you are, yet He loves you too much to let you stay that way. He wants you to be more like Jesus."
We have a child and want our baby baptized. How should we proceed?
Baptism is one of our sacraments, so it is treated with great respect. When an infant is baptized, we celebrate:
1. God's promise to be active in the life of the child
2. The promise of the parents to raise the child in the Christian faith
3. The congregation's promise to be there to support that child as he/she grows in faith.
Because of the sacredness of those promises, we require a commitment on the part of the parents. Since our baptisms require a promise of support from the congregation, they are not held privately, but are included in one of our public worship services.
Parents who wish to have a child baptized should contact the pastor, who will meet with them to explain the sacred commitment and offer our support as a congregation.
My fiance and I hope to be married soon. Does one of us need to be a church member? What will be expected of us?
Marriage is a sacred rite, but not a sacrament.
Membership at Mapletown UMC is not a prerequisite for a church wedding. However, the couple must demonstrate an interest in a religious ceremony, and be willing to give the rite all due respect when the ceremony is taking place in our sanctuary or chapel.
Some churches only welcome members or baptized persons at the communion table. What regulations do you have on communion?
United Methodists celebrate an open table. That means we welcome everyone, without exception. Children are welcome to receive the sacrament. Visitors are welcome to receive the sacrament. We recognize the communion table as Christ's table, not ours, and Christ wants all people to come unto Him.
